I'll never ask for permission from you . . .

Spencer stared down at the brackish water, her cerulean eyes were round and frightened as they took in the swelling whitecaps and the impassive faces of the sienna rocks. She leaned back, dizzy from looking at the sheer drop for so long. For a moment, she was silent, her arms folded protectively across her chest and her eyes closed in absolute terror, albeit she'd never admit to feeling that way. Finally, her eyelids flickered and her tongue protruded from her mouth as he licked her lips. Speech, although a bit shaky, would come next. "Ashley," she whispered hoarsely, her tone filled with honesty, "I can't."

And she couldn't. The cliff was far too high, about fifty feet above sea level, and she didn't even really know how to dive anyway. When Ashley, her friend, proposed such a thing, she'd laughed uneasily and agreed that it was a worthy proposal, but did that really mean she wanted to do it? Did such a thing entail that Spencer could do it?

No, she decided that it didn't.

Beside her, the brunette shuddered with involuntary anger. The dark-haired girl wanted to bare her teeth and claw at her blonde companion in an animalistic manner, but instead she simply smiled thinly and held onto her fragile control. "It's – It's fine," she returned uncertainly. "I was only joking when I suggested it. No one sane really does cliff-diving; it's way too dangerous. I picked it because I knew you wouldn't do it." There was something in her tone, something that picked at Spencer's skin and challenged her more than a slap than a white glove could. The blonde seemed to tremble herself, as she peered over the edge once more, as if this time would change her mind and she would actually plunge into the treacherous water below.

When she reemerged, her austere eyes were wider and even more fearful than the first time she had peeked down over the cliff. Her breath was quick and raspy, as if she had run a mile, and it took her a moment to catch it. "I can't, Ashley." She repeated herself simply. "I don't want to . . . I don't even know how to dive." She admitted, her gaze lowered so she didn't have to meet Ashley's own wild stare. They were both silent for a long time, before Ashley broke the silence with a crazed laugh. Spencer jerked her gaze upward, and Ashley saw that the blonde's eyes were puzzled and innocent. It was obvious that she didn't know how to help her friend; everything she did, every attempt she made was brushed away by Ashley. They were at a crossroads, and Spencer didn't have any directions on which lane to take.

Ashley stopped laughing suddenly, ceasing her maniacal expression as quickly as she had started it. The sable-haired girl threw herself forward, hitting Spencer and shoving her backward toward the very edge of the cliff they stood upon. For a moment, the blonde let out a soft and terrified cry as her heels slid over the ledge, her hands coming forward to clutch Ashley with the panic of survival. The brunette grasped both of Spencer's palms and yanked them away from her arms, pushing them toward the roaring sea below.

"No, Ashley, don't!"

Spencer shrieked as she clawed for the safety of the other side, and then, with another push, Spencer was falling . . . falling . . .

- - - -

Ashley jerked into consciousness, her hands flying upward to connect with the stout steering wheel. "Spencer!" She cried, her brown eyes wide with horror. Beside her, a blonde was aroused as sharply as Ashley had been just a minute before, her blue eyes were colored a darker navy from sleep. "Wh-what? She murmured, her hands coming up to clear a bit of drool from the corner of her lip. "Somebody say . . . name. Was . . . sleeping?"

Most of her sentences were incomprehensible, but Ashley could have cared less. She launched herself at the still drowsy blonde, throwing her arms around her warm – alive and dry! — shoulders with a choked sob. Spencer, having collected herself to know that she was being hugged by the sobbing Ashley, began to make soothing sounds. "Shh, it's all right, Ashley. They're in a better place now – a much better place now. God has them in heaven, and —"

"S-Shut up," Ashley attempted a firm tone, but mostly she sounded as if she were about to hiccup. Spencer obliged though, being the willing soul she was, and Ashley could have laughed at the incredulity of Spencer's thinking. She thought that Ashley was crying about her parents, when in reality she had been crying because she had orchestrated the blonde's death in her dreams. It was something that she could never actually do; Ashley was quite sure she could never 'kill' or murder anyone, not even Glen!

"I wasn't crying over them," she admitted for no reason other than to hear Spencer's opinion on the matter. "I was crying because I just had the scariest dream. You and I, we went cliff diving, and I — instead of, well I — oh, just never mind."

Spencer pushed Ashley gently away; her blue eyes were curious. "No, no 'just never mind'! What happened? Why were we cliff-diving? I haven't done that in ages, it's very dangerous, you know." Spencer lifted her hands up excitedly; her azure-hued gaze was wide in the coming rant that would spill from her lips like word-vomit.

Ashley jolted forward, her expression akin to one who has just seen a unicorn. "You've been – You've been cliff diving?" She didn't mind encouraging one of Spencer's rambles, because the idea of Spencer jumping off a cliff without anything on her but a bathing suit seemed completely and utterly mendacious to Ashley. There was no way her geeky friend had leapt off the side of a massive cliff, just no way!

"Sure! My brother and I used to do it all the time. He's into extreme sports. You know, rock-climbing and all that stuff. He used to take me when he went; he fell his own airplane, too. We didn't get to do it very often, though, because we were Midwesterners and well Clay wasn't always – Why are you hugging me again? I mean, I'm all for the new and improved displaying of affection kick you're on, but . . . Oh, don't cry! Please don't cry! I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry." Spencer peered innocuously down at the weeping Ashley with complete and utter confusion.

What had she said wrong? Could it have been the mention of Clay? Did Ashley get sad at the mention of Spencer's brother when her own brother, Glen, was dead? That made perfect sense, but what Ashley said next through her weeping was not.
"You died!"

Ashley's tone was one that was accusing and Spencer peered about the car, it's expensive interior detail winking knowingly back at her; for a moment, she expected to see the ghost of Ashley's parents, or at least maybe a phantom housekeeper or something, staring back at her with a blank expression upon their misty visages. ( Spencer did, in fact, have a very over active imagination. )

Instead, all she saw was more pale leather and an expensive stereo system. The blonde looked back at the still choking Ashley, her expression puzzled. "I – I died?" She pointed at her chest, the white tip of her nail embedding into the soft material of her cream-colored cashmere sweater. Ashley nodded and Spencer grew even more pensive. Well, she couldn't have actually died, because wouldn't she know that she was in fact, dead? "I'm not dead." She stated the sentence as firmly as she could before adding in a smile for her – friend's benefit. "Although," she added, "I am beginning to think you're quite crazy. In fact, you just might pass for crazier than Spastic Spen. Maybe it's because of all those ding-dongs you had before we pulled over, I told you not to eat --"

Ashley shook her head. "No, stupid, in my dream, you died. I – I killed you."

"Oh," Spencer said slowly, "Well, that's a little morbid and . . . frightening. Is this the part where I run screaming off into the woods? Do I get a ten second start or should we start brawling right here?" Ashley began to shake again and Spencer leaned forward, pressing one finger beneath the brunette's damp chin. "Hey, I'm just kidding. Do you want to kill me?"

Ashley shook her head no.

"Then, I'm currently sitting in the position of being totally, completely, and utterly unafraid." A smile slowly came to Ashley's lips, before the brunette arched forward and planted them onto Spencer's own.

She pulled back and whispered:

"About earlier, when I asked you to do something for me . . ." She trailed off, waiting with wide hazel eyes. Spencer sighed in a defeated manner before nodding once.

"Okay," she said, "Okay. Let's go."

- - - - - -

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Spencer whispered uncertainly as they crept down the pew of the church. "I mean, I could go to hell for this. Stealing is a big no-no when it comes to religion, Ash!" The brunette laughed softly before turning to flash amused brown eyes in the blonde's direction.

"Oh, come on," she said. "Haven't you ever wanted to be bad?" At Spencer's incredulous look, Ashley turned around and mumbled, "I'm guessing that's a 'no way in hell, Ash'."

There was a clatter from behind them and both girls dived for opposite pews. A drunk, clad in black robes with a stiff white collar, staggered into the room. "Anybody in here?" His voice was smoky, as if he had sucked on cigarettes for most of his pathetic life. "I'll call the cops, you mother f-fuckers." He waved his right hand. "Just because I'm Reverend Orch, doesn't mean I won't kick your asses." He swung wildly in what both girls guessed was an attempt at a demonstration and then he fell, his stolen bottle of church wine hitting the floor with a loud crash of breaking glass.

Ashley crawled forward, poking in her head out of the pew and toward his now slumbering form. "He's passed out. C'mon, Spence." Her tone was a dramatic stage-whisper, one that just dared to be mimicked, but they both got onto their hands and knees without a retort from the blonde.

They scampered their way toward the altar with Ashley in the lead. Suddenly, one hand circled her neck and the other clamped over her mouth to muffle her coming scream. Someone strong jerked her back in-between the pews again and she began to writhe and struggle.

"Ashley, stop! Ash, it's me, stop it! Ow!" Those impossibly secure arms released her and she glanced back to see Spencer peering up over her bitten hand in bewilderment. "Why did you bite me? That hurt!" She accused the brunette with her usual innocent tone.

Ashley fought the urge to laugh at Spencer, reminding herself that she was angry at the blonde for sneaking up and scaring her. "You grabbed me." She reminded her with a pointed whisper. "Why the sudden kidnap, Lurch?" She referred to the Addams Family's doorman with a grin.

Spencer glared for a moment before replying, "I — I well, I," she blushed, "I wanted to k-kiss you. See, I've always had this fantasy about . . ." She trailed off, eying Ashley suspiciously. "You'll laugh," she decided with a frown.

"I'll laugh? Me? Nun-uh." Ashley repeated, hiding her smirk. Spencer with a fantasy? No way. Hell would freeze over before the blonde thought about girls or, god forbid, boys naked. And yet, maybe . . . "So, you're telling me that you've thought about me naked during church?"

Spencer blushed a fine shade of magenta. "No! That's gross, Ashley."

"So, you're saying I'm gross?" Ashley grinned; she was enjoying this.

"No! That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't think about people naked while I'm actually in church, it's just —"

"That you think about it after?" Ashley finished for her, a grin settling on her lips. Spencer began to sputter indignantly before the brunette leaned forward and pressed her lips against Spencer's own smooth kissers.

Their kiss only lasted for a moment, before Spencer broke it and said nervously, "But don't you want to steal the cross? I mean, it is what we came here for – Oh! Okay. No talking. Got it."

---
Author's Notes:
Eh.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my opinion of it.

I tried to make the dream weird but real - so you might just buy it was actual reality, but you still kind of doubted it . . . Let me know if I pulled it off.